christmas cards, tea parties & birthday...

It seems like a took a little blogging break, but I am back at it again. I swear my life sometimes is so crazy I could blog everyday & keep people entertained :) This blog is not all that entertaining but a recap of my weekend...

Thursday, we finally got to have a day with Daddy! It was so much fun. Build a bear, park, lunch in the park... so great! Then mommy got to escape to get my hair fixed, my oh my did it need a fixin! Made a last minute decision to go darker. If you have known me for any amount of time you know that I love changing my hair. I have always said that God gave me hair to keep myself entertained! SO after mixing tons of different colors John &; I ended up making some awesome colors. I am very very happy with it. I have said that it is for my new found twilight interest, I am channeling Edward! lol. ok enough of that.
Then, we attempted family pictures. DISASTER! We will be going back to Target again here soon. Jen is the best photographer I have found for my family :) They do an awesome job &; I don't end up throwing my camera or wanting to kill my husband at the end of it! lol. We managed to get a few good ones but not what I wanted & me being the control freak I am was a total bear about it. (Sorry honey!) But got some photos & christmas cards are ordered. So I am happy again!

Saturday, I had the privilege of taking Karly & my mom to the Fairy Tale Tea Party at the Magic House. It was a really priceless time. Enjoyed some great company with our friends Addison & Jen. It was a very magical day. Memories I'll never forget, getting to watch Kar &; mom sip tea together...

We finished up the weekend with a birthday party. Grace, Karly's "best friend" turned 3! So we ended the weekend on a high horse! (man, I am cheesy!) Grace is such a special friend. Her & Karly are two peas in a pod, but not to much surprise so are their mommies! Grace's mom & I have been friends since high school and amazingly enough both ended up having girls a month apart. crazy, I tell ya. It is so much fun! Thanks for having such a good party Gracie girl! Karly keeps saying "mommy I want horses at my party too!" (ahhh!)

Not all children are created equal

ok so I think I need to vent, get some good advise or just have a good cry... I am really not sure which! If you knew me growing up, you know that I was a very quiet, shy, introverted little one (ok so maybe I still am a bit, but trust me I have come a long way from going to school in my PJ's cause that was the only way to get me there) Well, I seem to have a child very much like myself. I laugh sometimes at how different our girls are. Noelle the social butterfly, extrovert, logical, never shy or afraid & then My Karly totally opposite, my intellect thinking about everything before it ever happens, quiet & reserved, thrives on complete structure. Looks like we have duplicated a little Jason & a little LeAnn ;) lol! Anyway. Why is it that people seem to think that every kid is wild, crazy & outgoing?! I am so sick & tired of having to explain to people, she is ok, she is just uncomfortable in chaos (and I try to say that in the nicest way possible). Its as though they think there is something wrong with her because she is behaved, not screaming, & acting like a monkey. I often want to ask, when was the last time you walked into a room where you didn't know anyone and just started running around & screaming with them-- I mean why do you expect my child to do something that no adult would do?! makes me crazy! I know that there are many children who love action & loudness but that is not all children, and there is NOTHING wrong with mine because she does not. If she is playing & your child comes over, pushes her out of the way & then starts being loud why do you think it is my child with the problem? HELLO! Ok I told you I had to vent! LOL! Guess I am having a mom moment. I have been in a couple situations now and I am starting to feel bothered by people's response to my child. I am so thankful for teachers, other moms & friends who understand and go out of their way to love my child. Understanding that not all kids are made the same. I am not saying that if your child is  a monkey there is anything wrong with them, there is not. I am just saying don't give me bad looks or make snide comments because my child does not act like yours. I often hear, "being a mom is hard", and I have decided that it is not the child that makes it hard, it is other people- what is hard is not wanting to slap the person making you feel like there is something wrong with your child. So incase you are wondering, I am in no mood to hear... "oh you stay at home with her, maybe you need to start a preschool program" or "Its probably because you are in the room"-- HA! Maybe next time I should tell the teacher, "Maybe it is because YOU are in the room. lol!" People kill me. OK so I need to get off my soapbox here before I go too far. I am just saying people, not everyone is created the same, that doesn't make them any less of a person, so BE NICE!

Its a Homemade Christmas

I truly cannot believe how fast these months are flying bye. Growing up my mom always said "the older you get the faster time flies". I never bought into the statement while sitting in those boring history classes counting the minutes to pass; but now, I understand that I had one wise mama! Christmas-- I am seeing decorations, tree, lights, I love Christmas time so much however, I am in a bit of a panic these days thinking about it! I have been spending tons of time searching for great projects & gifts that won't break the bank & that are still really great gifts. I mean no one wants "that sweater" that you have to fake a thank you for... come on, you know you have! I am very good at buying a head of time, in fact I am pretty proud that I only have 8 people left to buy for and it is not even Thanksgiving yet, some people might think that is a lot but not for our families! But I am very excited that I have found some really great things this year that will cost me little to nothing & are very awesome gifts! AND, I have just learned how to make homemade wrapping paper too, why is it that wrapping paper now is as costly as the gift! lol! I cannot wait for me & kar to start making it! I also found a great way to make bows out of magazines but it looked a little complicated to me so I might bite the bullet & go find some ribbon on sale! Call me cheap if you want but I would much rather spend my money on things that are not going to be sitting in the trash can... I know that a lot of people are strapped financially this year and that can add a lot of stress, so if this is you, I encourage you to get creative & make it fun. I am a little artsy but I cannot use a sewing machine, I can barely operate a glue gun :) and I have managed to do it so trust me you can too! Don't get discouraged. Sometimes I actually like it better when funds are tight it really makes me appreciate then things that matter. Makes me see the differences in my wants & needs. So much of what we think we need we can actually live without & there is something to be said about simple living.  I may not live in a mansion & my designer jeans are most likely from Marshalls ;) but I am SO blessed in so many other ways. So gifts from me this year have cost me less money but I put love & effort into it! I am so excited to get started on my projects I already have 2 down & 3 to go... now if I could just figure out a good gift for men I would be set-- any ideas?! Please I need guy ideas!!! I would be happy to swap I have GREAT gifts for teens & ladies (sisters, mom, nieces, aunts, grandmas-- I got them covered) that literally cost cents to make :)

Enjoy the season at any cost!